The hero of Jean-Luc Godard’s Le Petit Soldat declared “The cinema is truth, 24 times per second,” as The Guardian’s Peter Bradshaw noted while pondering frame rates and cinematic standards last year. Peter Jackson insists that it’s closer to 48 frames per second, as demonstrated by the groundbreaking new frame rate he utilized for this weekend’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey. But do scientific theories about the way our brains perceive images and reality — truth unfolding onscreen, in front of our eyes — support Jackson’s brave new vision for cinema, or undermine it?
There is a great gulf between the cinematic look of 24 fps, the traditional rate at which film images are presented in succession to simulate moving images on a screen, and 48 fps. The latter packs more visual information into each second of film, for better and worse. Jackson and his fellow HFR enthusiasts (including James Cameron and Douglas Trumbull) argue that 48 fps and even higher frame rates result in greater clarity and a closer approximation to real life. They also contend it reduces motion blur, thus improving the look of 3-D images.
But scientists and researchers in the field of consciousness perception say that the human brain perceives reality at a rate somewhere between 24 fps and 48 fps — 40 conscious moments per second, to be more exact — and exceeding the limit of the brain’s speed of cognition beyond the sweet spot that connotes realism is where Jackson & Co. get into trouble.
Movieline spoke with filmmaker James Kerwin, who lectured on the subject of the science of film perception…
Full Story »“Home is now behind you. The World Is Ahead,” Ian McKellen as Gandalf says in voiceover in this latest official trailer from Peter Jackson’s first installment of The Hobbit trilogy, which is subtitled, An Unexpected Journey. The movie is set for release on Dec. 14, and the trailer offers glimpses of Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins, McKellen as Gandalf, a CGI-assisted Andy Serkis as Gollum, Cate Blanchett as Galadriel and Hugo Weaving as Elrond. And what would a Hobbit trailer be without lots of swordplay, dwarf comedy and portentous pronouncements from the always-top-notch McKellen as Gandalf. My favorite: ”Why Bilbo Baggins? That is because I’m afraid — and he gives me courage.” Must be the hairy feet.
Behold, ye hirsute bi-peds:
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The Ridley Scott-directed Sci-Fi thriller awaits its U.S. bow this weekend and momentum appears to be on its side. Across the Atlantic where audiences have already flocked to see the movie, Twentieth Century Fox is already cashing in, with a £6.24M gross last weekend, which translates to just over $9.7M. That figure outshines any of the Alien movies, according to The Guardian which reported the figures.
Of course anyone with a television in the English-speaking world and beyond knew last weekend was Britain’s Diamond Jubilee extravaganza and the government tacked on two bank holidays Monday and Tuesday so crowds could join in on the festivities. And while they did, some clearly took a break for some big screen good times because Prometheus tacked on an additional £3.68M ($5.73M) those days, making the pic bigger than the total gross across the pond than any of the Alien movies, according to The Guardian.
The longer term impact is challenging to determine since prequels and sequels tend to muster fans to head to the theaters in bigger droves than a film first out of the gate. But for comparisons sake, Gladiator opened in May 2000 with £3.56M ($5.54M) and eventually tallied £31.2M ($48.56M), though Robin Hood opened with £5.75M ($8.95M) but it eventually totaled only £15.6M ($24.28M).
The only time the UK Department of Public Health allows that piece of trash Peaches Geldof into public movie theaters is when the filthy street rats overtake the concession stand and only a diseased gutter snake like her can scare them away. So it must of been a very special occasion for them to let Peaches into London’s Odeon Cinema for the premiere of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo last night and it was. The organizers of last night’s premiere knew their red carpet needed some greasy beauty that only Peaches’ newest fiancé Thomas Cohen can provide.
Thomas is that ho who put coolots back on the fashion map last August when he strolled around with Peaches while looking like the kind of Asian girl Woody Allen would like to marry. And yeah, now he’s about to partake in a pre-divorce ceremony with Peaches, but you know that shit isn’t going to last. Thomas is going to pull out as soon as he comes down from the hallucinations a bitch gets after drinking up the fermented syrup that seeps out of Peaches’ pores. So we should take in Thomas’ beauty while we still can.
Also at last night’s Dragon Tattoo premiere was anti-Kardashian activist Daniel Craig and some runaway Vulcan bride.
Now, the Second Sino-Japanese War may not seem like the perfect backdrop for Christian Bale to showcase his heartthrob chops, but it appears there’s a romance nestled in this very expensive, ornate chronicle of the Japanese invasion of China. The Flowers of War is China’s official submission to the Oscars, and it won’t take long to see why: This thing is too gigantic and textbook-serious to be ignored.
Let’s forgive a few things in this trailer: 1) Christian Bale; 2) Christian Bale’s – and forgive me if I’m misdiagnosing this — Blue Collar Comedy Tour accent; 3) The following exchange: “Are you going to fall in love with me?” “…ALREADY HAVE.” Forgiveness, forgiveness, forgiveness. I have a surplus of it today.
Because otherwise, this looks breathtaking. I also thought this year’s Fox Searchlight release Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, a “historical drama set in 19th century China”: http://www.movieline.com/2011/07/review-snow-flower-and-the-secret-fan.php, looked incredible, and that disappeared from the public consciousness faster than it entered (if it even entered). While I’m sure Flowers of War is more entertaining than didactic, there is a serious lack of knowledge in America about Asian history, so I hope this finds a way to catch hold in the states. Let’s face it, the last movie about 1930s China that moved me to tears was Shanghai Surprise, and I don’t believe that was intentional.
Verdict: A bouquet of gorgeous cinematography and harsh history
The Flowers of War opens in limited release this month.
Full Story »Thanksgiving is a gluttonous greedy ass holiday that calls for two Hot Sluts and we’ve already got the fine sparkling beverages covered, so here’s Aunt Mary of Tante (Yeah, I read that as “taint” too. You’re not alone.) Marie’s Cooking School providing us with some meaty advice. Just throw the motherfucking turkey in the fucking oven and cook it with as much fuck effort as possible since it’s going to taste like a microwaved UPS box no matter what you do. Just get drunk on Pinot, throw some gravy on the turkey and call it good!
Will somebody please direct me to the farm that grows Aunt Marys, because I’m going to need one of her for next year’s Thanksgiving.
via The Daily What
Oh, no; Taylor Lautner’s life is a lie! In the new trailer for Abduction, Twilight’s crybaby sex wolf enters a world of intrigue and fear — and I do mean the fearful stare of Sigourney Weaver, who suddenly resembles Christopher Walken when acting terrified. Will Taylor Lautner be smooth enough to survive when he’s stripped of his identity instead of his clothes?
Did I see a second or two of a wrestling match at the beginning there? Might this be the Vision Quest remake that only I requested? Hmm?
So, what was your favorite moment of hilarity in this trailer? Taylor’s “fear” look? Alfred Molina’s grumbled, “They weren’t your real parents”? Sigourney running around with balloons? They’re all winners. For all of his likable oiliness in Twilight, Taylor Lautner is sort of an under-fascinating marquee star. This may awake some anger in you, but the fact is, he’s no Shia LaBeouf. He doesn’t do urgency or protagonism well, unlike our Disturbia voyeur. He drags his esteemed company down with him, too — now Sigourney will never pick up that Oscar that she deserved for Working Girl.
VERDICT: The Bored Identity.
Watch in HD over at Apple.
[via Coming Soon]
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